Music Education Objectives:
First Semester 2011-12

Kindergarten: Kindergarten students will be able to lead and notate music using invented symbols to represent beat. They will also be able to identify and describe basic elements in music like high/low, fast/slow, and loud/soft beats.

First Grade: First grade students will be able to read, write and perform simple patterns of rhythm and pitch, using beat, rest and divided beat. They will also be able to listen to, analyze and describe simple musical forms and identify common instruments.

Second Grade: Second grade students will be able to read, write and perform simple rhythmic patterns, using eighth notes, quarter notes, half notes, and rests. In addition, they will be singing with accuracy in their voice range and singing age-appropriate songs.

Third Grade: Third grade students will read, write and perform simple rhythmic patterns using eighth notes, quarter notes, half notes, dotted half notes, whole notes and rests. They will also be reading, writing and performing the pentatonic patterns using solfege*.

Fourth Grade: Fourth grade students will read, write and perform simple rhythmic patterns using eighth notes, quarter notes, half notes, dotted half notes, whole notes and rests. They will also be reading, writing and performing the pentatonic patterns using solfege*.

Fifth Grade: Fifth grade students will learn how to ploy the recorder, and how to read music notes on a music staff. Please support their music education by encouraging your child to practice.

Sixth Grade: Sixth grade students are continuing to learn different aspects of music theory by learning more advanced songs on the recorder. We will also begin work on playing trios as a class. Please continue to support their music education by encouraging your child to practice.

Seventh Grade: Seventh grade students will continue to play the recorder for the first semester only. They will be preparing a musical selection that will include all the music elements they have learned throughout their two years of playing the recorder.

Eighth Grade: Eighth grade students will concentrate on music history during the first semester. We will cover different styles of music throughout different parts of the world, starting with the Medieval era and ending with the 21st century.

• In every grade level, we are learning new songs for the different mass celebrations throughout this school year.
• Throughout the grade levels, they will also be learning songs from various cultures.
• Thank you for your supporting your child in their music education. Encourage your child by asking them what they learned in music class and/or asking to see their work.

*Solfege is the system of syllables traditionally used to help students learn the notes of the major and minor scales: Do, Re, Mi, Fa, Sol, La, Ti . There are two approaches to solfege, the Fixed-Do system in which Do is always the note C, and Moveable-Do, in which Do is always the first note of the major scale - whatever scale that happens to be.